How to Apply to the Graduate Program
How do I apply?
A complete application requires several parts. Some may be submitted via computer directly to the Graduate School, while others are mailed to the History department. If you do not have access to the Internet, request a paper application by calling the NC State Graduate School at (919) 515-2872, or write to: The Dean of the Graduate School, Peele Hall, Box 7102, NC State University, Raleigh NC 27695-7102. See the page on admission on the Graduate School web site for complete information.
The cost to apply is $55.
Regardless of the deadline on the Graduate School homepage, the departmental deadline is January 1. The History Department does not have a rolling admissions policy.
(1) The official application form, including the personal statement. On the Application and Test Information page, indicate whether you are applying for admission only or admission with financial aid. The admissions process is need-blind: indicating that you desire financial aid will not affect your chances of being admitted to the program. If you want financial aid, indicate that you want to be a teaching assistant. Under Desired Major/Degree, select History-MA or Public History-MA. The College or School is CHASS (the acronym for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences).
Please indicate your area of interest in the letter. You may select from the fields listed below, combine a couple of them, or list something else. This list is not comprehensive, and you should explore the faculty webpages to get a strong sense of their specializations and with whom you may wish to work. Of course you may always change your specialization, but this allows us to anticipate your general interests.
Ancient World
Medieval
Early Modern Europe
Modern Europe
African
Asian
Latin American
Middle Eastern
Global History
Early United States
Modern United States
law and political culture
race and ethnicity
women and gender
intellectual history
labor and labor movements
frontiers
science and technology
environment
(2) Via the same application website, download and print out the cover sheets for the three letters of recommendation, or direct your recommenders to the instructions in Apply Yourself (NC State's on-line application program) for submitting a recommendation letter online. The interface allows recommenders to either write directly online, or to upload a text file (we recommend the latter for the letter portion of the recommendation). If you request the print application, these recommendation pages will be included in it. See the Reference Report on Applicant.
Select three qualified recommenders, preferably faculty or supervisors who are able to speak to your reading, interpreting, and writing talents, as well as your general academic aptitude, and, if relevant, to your professional skills. Ask that they submit a letter along with the cover sheet, since those sheets have scoring grids but very little room for the more helpful extended comments about candidates. At least two of the three letters should be from academic professionals. Ask your recommenders to submit their references on line or to sign across the sealed envelope and mail them not to you but directly to the Director of Graduate Programs, Department of History, Campus Box 8108, North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695.
(3) Notify any undergraduate and graduate institutions you have attended (whether or not you graduated from them) to have TWO official copies of your transcripts sent to the Graduate School. Applicants still pursuing an undergraduate degree must send the pre-degree transcript and then, if admitted, the post-degree version of the same transcript. If you are an NC State undergraduate, you do not have to order official transcripts since we can retrieve them from Registration and Records.
(4) GRE verbal, quantitative, and analytical test scores sent directly by GRE to NCSU. We must receive your scores by the January 1 deadline. Scores for the verbal and quantitative sections are machine scored and typically reach NC State within two weeks of your taking the test; however, the analytical test, instituted in October 2002, takes longer because it is read by people. Consequently, do not assume that your complete GRE scores can reach us in less than a month. When taking the test, designate that your scores are sent to NCSU by indicating institution code 5496. The test can be taken or retaken once in any calendar month. We will keep your highest scores, and scores remain valid for 5 years. We do not require the Subject test in History. We do not require a GRE for people who already have an MA or PhD in another subject. For information about the GRE test, contact Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, PO Box 6000, Princeton, NJ, 08541; email: gre-info@ets.org; Web: www.gre.org
(5) Other correspondence, including an optional resumé and writing sample, should be sent to: Director of Graduate Programs, Department of History, Campus Box 8108, North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695 or Luria@social.chass.ncsu.edu. A writing sample is not required, but including one gives you an opportunity to show the admissions committee the quality of your work. A paper that indicates your ability to do research is particularly useful.
